writing to - think.dasa.ncsu.edu · claim: an explanation or interpretation of some aspect of the...
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Writing to Think/Learn
- Writing increases students’ participation.
- Writing increases students’ communication skills.
- Writing helps students think deeply.
- Writing helps you know your students better.
Writing to Think/Learn
• Writing to learn (WaC) vs. learning to write (WiD) • The problem with “thinking out loud”
• Informal/exploratory writing – “low stakes” • Formal writing – “high stakes”
Informal/Exploratory Writing
• What kinds of low-stakes writing activities do you use in your courses?
• Benefits of low-stakes writing activities:
– Easily constructed and not very time-consuming – Serve a large range of goals – Do not necessarily require any grading (though
you could use a very simple system – check/plus/minus scale; 5-point scale; etc.)
Informal/Exploratory Writing In Class:
• Writing at the beginning of class – Ask a question that reviews previous material or
stimulates interest in what’s coming (e.g., Socrative) • Writing during class
– Refocus a lagging discussion or cool off a heated one – Time for students to jot down questions or ponder a
complex topic/situation • Writing at the end of class
– Minute Paper/Exit Slips – POMS (Point of Most Significance) & Muddiest Point
Exit Slip Prompts • Write down two things you learned today. • Pretend your friend was absent from class today and s/he
asks you to explain the lesson. What would you tell him/her? • Write down one question you have about today’s lesson. • Write down one thing I can do to help you. • What concept has been most difficult/confusing in this
chapter, article, etc.? • What do you need to do to prepare for the upcoming test,
essay, etc.? • What would you like me to review tomorrow? • What is the most important thing we learned today? • If you were writing a quiz that covered today’s material, what
are two questions that you would put on it?
Write! 1. Drawing on a lesson from your course (perhaps a recent
one!), compose an open-ended question that you might ask students to respond to at the very beginning of class (to help with recall, to stimulate discussion, etc.).
2. Share with a neighbor!
“Thinking Routines” – from Artful Thinking
“WHAT MAKES YOU SAY THAT?”
Interpretation with Justification Routine
There are two core questions for this routine. The first question asks for an interpretation. The second question asks for justification. 1. What’s going on? 2. What do you see that makes you say that?
CLAIM / SUPPORT / QUESTION A Reasoning Routine
1. Make a claim about the image or topic. Claim: An explanation or interpretation of some aspect of the image or topic. 2. Identify support for your claim. Support: Things you see, feel, and know that support your claim. 3. Ask a question related to your claim. Question: What’s left hanging? What isn’t explained? What new questions does your claim raise?
WRITE! (Interpretation with Justification Routine)
1. What’s going on? 2. What do you see that makes you say that?
Loggerhead Blood Taurine
Lactate
Creatine Acetate
Glucose
Informal/Exploratory Writing
Out of class:
• Journals/blogs (could also be used in class) • Learning logs • Discussion boards
Formal Writing • What kinds of high-stakes writing activities do you use in
your courses?
• Invention Exercises for Formal Assignments – Freewriting – Mind Mapping (MindNode, etc.) – Topic Brainstorming (see handout)
Lotus Blossom
Write! In his book The Nature of Prejudice (1954), Gordon Allport wrote extensively about “in-groups” and how they affect our identity and behavior. Using a mind map or lotus blossom, list a few of your own “in-groups” and also consider a few different aspects of these in-groups that would be interesting to research (e.g., female STEM scholar stereotypes; retention rates; etc.).
Formal Writing
• Scaffolding for Formal Assignments
– Process work: Topic Proposal, Drafting, Peer Review, Metacognitive Reflection, Student Explanation of Work, etc.
– Synthesis Matrix
Synthesis Matrix
The synthesis matrix is a chart that allows a researcher to sort and categorize the different arguments presented on an issue (especially helpful for evidence-based writing assignments — e.g., literature reviews, etc.)
HEADLINES: A Routine for Capturing Essence
1. Think about all we have covered today. Write a headline that conveys the most important aspect(s) of our discussion.
2. Share your headline with a neighbor!
References & Further Reading • Anson, C. M., & Beach, R. (1995). Journals in the classroom: Writing to learn.
Norwood, MA: Christopher-Gordon, Inc.
• Anson, C. M., Schweibert, J. E., & Williamson, M. M. (1993). Writing across the curriculum: An annotated bibliography. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press.
• Atkinson, M. P., & Lowney, K. S. In the trenches: Teaching and learning sociology. Forthcoming. New York City, NY: W.W. Norton.
• Bean, J. C. (2011). Engaging ideas: The professor’s guide to integrating writing, critical thinking, and active learning in the classroom. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
• Daniels, H., Zemelman, S., & Steineke, N. (2007). Content-area writing: Every teacher’s guide. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
• Lovett, Marsha C. (2013). Make exams worth more than the grade: Using exam wrappers to promote metacognition. In M. Kaplan, N. Silver, D. LaVague-Manty, & D. Meizlish (Eds.), Using reflection and metacognition to improve student learning: Across the disciplines, across the academy (pp. 18-52). Sterling, VA: Stylus.
References & Further Reading, cont’d.
• Mind mapping. (2012). Mindmapping.com. Retrieved from http://www.mindmapping.com/
• MindNode. (2015). Retrieved from https://mindnode.com/
• Padlet. (2015). Padlet.com. Retrieved from https://padlet.com/
• Socrative. (2015). Socrative.com. Retrieved from http://www.socrative.com/ – see also https://www.youtube.com/user/SocrativeVideos
• Thinking routines. (n.d.). Artful Thinking. Retrieved from http://www.pzartfulthinking.org/routines.php
• Writing a literature review and using a synthesis matrix. (2006). NC State Writing and Speaking Tutorial Services. Retrieved from http://tutorial.ncsu.edu/sites/tutorial.ncsu.edu/files/synthesis%20matrix_CC.pdf
• Zinsser, W. (1993). Writing to learn. New York City, NY: Harper Perennial.